The invention refers to an apparatus for dividing a continuous web of material into successive single sections, particularly for dividing a web of covering material into successive single bands used in the manufacturing of filter-tipped cigarettes, which comprises a rotary cutting roller with one or more peripheral radial knives which are angularly spaced apart from each other and have their cutting edge parallel to the axis of rotation of the cutting roller, and a rotary counter-roller with one or more peripheral anvils cooperating each with a knife in the cutting roller, and which may be provided with suction ports for holding on the said counter-roller the single sections cut from the web fed about the counter-roller, between this roller and the cutting roller, the knife or knives being each secured to a knife holder which is elastically yieldable in the radial direction toward the axis of rotation of the cutting roller. Such an apparatus is disclosed in the commonly owned co-pending Application Ser. No. 916,733, filed Oct. 8th, 1986.
The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above stated type, in which the knife holders are so improved as to attain an accurate alignment of the knife cutting edges parallelly to the surface of the anvils in the counter-roller, and at the same time as to permit the knives to elastically yield in the radial direction relative to the cutting roller, without using any suitable elastic means, while reducing also any noise and vibration generated by the knives hitting against the anvils in the counter-roller, and ensuring a uniform distribution of the load along the length of each knife.